An interview with PMMI president Chuck Yuska

Food & Drug Packaging, August, 2003

Q: The show has a new venue. What can you tell us about the move to the Las Vegas Convention Center?

A: Pack Expo Las Vegas is the fastest growing trade show in the country, according to the authoritative Tradeshow Week publication, having nearly doubled in size in both attendance and net square footage in five show cycles.

By moving to the Las Vegas Convention Center, we can accommodate additional exhibitors and provide even more value to the show's senior level attendees. Pack Expo Las Vegas 2003 is expected to occupy 425,000 net square feet, an increase of approximately 9% from the 2001 event, which occupied 390,000 net square feat.

Q: Why do you think Pack Expo Las Vegas continues to grow, while some other trade events are seeing declines in exhibit sales and attendance?

A: Pack Expo Las Vegas has achieved this level of success because of its focus on new technologies and real-world solutions for a variety of packaging applications. For attendees, Pack Expo Las Vegas offers access to hundreds of suppliers from across the packaging spectrum in one location. With today's tightened travel budgets and management's desire for innovative packaging solutions, either attending multiple shows or only attending one supplier's road show is not a valid option.

Q: How else has Pack Expo Las Vegas evolved since it debuted in 1995?

A: International attendance has increased significantly, with high-level decision makers traveling to Las Vegas from throughout Asia and Latin America. Of the 18,000 packagers expected at Pack Expo Las Vegas, over 2,000 will be visiting from more than 75 countries.

Q: What are some of the attributes that attendees will be seeking in the equipment they investigate at Pack Expo Las Vegas?

A: Customers continue to look for packaging machinery that can adapt to multiple packages in a quick and flexible manner. A recent survey of technical contacts within PMMI member companies indicated that quick changeover capabilities, flexibility and fast speeds are the top three machine attributes most often requested by companies purchasing new packaging machinery.

In addition, packaging machinery manufacturers identified four machine control feature improvements most often requested by customers purchasing new equipment: data acquisition, set-up screens, diagnostics and on-machine instruction sheets.